The present invention relates generally to automotive vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and, in particular, to a method for pre-cooling the passenger compartment of an automotive vehicle.
The passenger compartment of a vehicle parked in direct or indirect sunlight can become very hot, with temperatures greatly exceeding that of the ambient air temperature due to solar heat load on the window glass and the like. Vehicle owners often start a vehicle, engage the HVAC system to begin cooling the passenger compartment, and then exit the vehicle until the HVAC system actually begins to cool the passenger compartment. This method however, wastes fuel and increases the emissions of the vehicle. Remotely starting a vehicle and operating the HVAC system is also a known method for cooling the passenger compartment of the vehicle, however, this also wastes fuel and increases the emissions of the vehicle.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a method for cooling an interior of a vehicle without operating the engine and thereby wasting fuel and producing vehicle emissions.